HOISINGTON - The National Wetlands and Wildlife Scenic Byway professionals and volunteers met for a brain storming session on Wednesday in Hoisington to celebrate successes of the past seven years and plan for the future.

HOISINGTON - The USD 431 Hoisington School Board met Monday night at its regular meeting, and discussed at length adding digital cameras, particularly for Lincoln School and the high school, which both have blind entrances.

Great Bend Police Officers' Brian Dougherty and Jefferson Davis will present a "True Lies" program for parents or anyone who cares about the youth of today at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Great Bend High School auditorium. They will talk about the issues 7th-12th graders are dealing with.

ELLINWOOD - For those with champagne tastes and a beer budget, the Ellinwood American Legion will host the first ever Craft Beer Festival featuring stouts, ales and delicate artistic flavors from micro breweries in Kansas and Colorado. German food such as bratwurst with sauerkraut, bier rocks and home-made bread will also be for sale.

ELLINWOOD -Melting and then pouring searingly hot molten iron into molds of his own, Ellinwood native, Aaron McCaffery, is an artist of a different kind, and he will demonstrate an iron art pour at the American Legion Craft Beer Festival Oct. 13.

HOISINGTON - The Hoisington Free Land Program will give an approximately 12,000 square foot lots to 12-15 families on a first come first serve basis to build a home at the location of the old mobile home park, the City Land Bank committee decided Monday. A $500 earnest fee is required which will be refunded upon completion of the home.

BARTON COUNTY - Area birders in the form of Barton County second graders flocked to the Kansas Wetlands Education Center on a pleasantly warm Wednesday for the third annual Wetlands Education Day to learn about the valuable resources right here in Barton County.